NEW CHANGES AT COSTELLO SANDWICH & SIDESTO PROVIDE CUSTOMERS WITH MORE OF WHAT THEY LOVE MOST

New Ownership to Bring Fresh Look, New Menu Items & Lower Prices to this Neighborhood Favorite

CHICAGO (December 14, 2009) – Fans of Costello Sandwich & Sides are about to receive an early holiday present as the place best-known for their signature oven-baked sandwiches, heartwarming soups and made-from-scratch sides rolls out a new updated look, additional menu items and lower, across-the-board pricing on almost every sandwich beginning December 14.

With two locations on Chicago’s north side in Roscoe Village and Lincoln Square, Costello Sandwich & Sides, http://www.costellosandwich.com has been a neighborhood family favorite since 1998. The menu consists of more than 25 classic oven-baked sandwiches and wraps, made with quality meats, cheeses, veggies and more. When the new menu is unveiled, customers will be pleased to see all their beloved sandwiches still available but most will see a slightly lower cost. Additionally, all regular sandwiches will now be priced the same at $6.29 and served with a choice of one snack such as potato chips or an apple. All deluxe sandwich meals will be priced at $8.69 and will include a snack, one side and regular fountain beverage.

New to the menu are four healthful hand tossed salads including a Chicken Caesar Salad, Antipasto Salad, Southwest Chicken Salad and a Garden Salad. The menu also features the same delicious hot and cold sides including Chipotle Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, Red Pepper Rotini, Pineapple Tuna with Shells and Pasta Aglio Olio. Also remaining on the menu are a number of homemade soups, Northwoods chili, kid’s meals and desserts.

The upgrades and restructuring of the menu are a result of a recent change in ownership of the two-unit sandwich shop. Catering veterans Rob Procell and Glenn Tisdall, who also own and operate TRI-STAR Catering in the Chicago Loop, recently purchased Costello from the original owners. Both Procell and Tisdall are committed to maintaining the key components of what keeps the loyal customer base coming back.

“From talking to both customers and staff we learned that people are tied to a particular sandwich and would be really upset if it was altered significantly or removed from the menu,” said Tisdall. “We have a devoted following which is why we believe they’re going to be thrilled with the subtle yet noticeable upgrades we’ve made.”

Besides the menu enhancements, customers will also notice aesthetic changes when visiting either of the two locations. For example, the Lincoln Avenue location has a new seating rail along the window and the Roscoe location has upgraded the counter, deli case and bathroom. Both locations also received new outdoor signage.

According to Procell, all areas of the operation were reviewed and appropriate changes were made based on what customers have come to expect from restaurants today. Examples include switching from Styrofoam containers to new “greener” compostable packaging and putting a greater emphasis on their all day delivery service with drivers.

“Our customers are getting more of what they love about Costello’s,” Said Procell. “We hope old and new customers alike will see this as a great opportunity to come visit either location to check out the new changes and to say hello.”

To help celebrate the holidays, customers can stop by either location or become a fan of “Costello Sandwiches and Sides” on Facebook to have a chance to win Blackhawks vs. New Jersey Devils game tickets at the United Center for the December 31, 2009 game. The drawing will be held on December 23rd.

Yeah...somehow it doesn't all ring true. Especially since I've picked up at Costello's in the last two weeks and already noticed one not so positive change in particular. The sandwich I ordered was fine, meeting all expectations. However, the side order of Red Skin Mashed Potatoes was exactly half the size of previous orders, for the same price. Sadly this was a case of both quantity and quality suffering; said mashed potatoes had the look and taste of a dish that had been sitting around for a fair amount of time before making it into my carry-out bag.

The mashed potatoes I've always gotten at Costello's were creamy textured, slightly chunky, nice white color contrasted by plentiful chunks of red skin, and good, fresh made flavor. The (unexpected) half order I received two weeks ago was an off yellow (and not in a good Yukon Gold kind of way) color, decidedly lacking in red skins, had the gluey consistency of boxed potatoes flakes, and had a kind of sour flavor that indicated to me that they had been sitting in a holding oven for a while.

I've been a happy customer at Costello's for nearly 10 years now and this was my very first disappointment. But if this is part of the change that new ownership brings to a well established business, they will need to give me some strong reassurances that they will be maintaining the previous owner's commitment to quality and quantity before I will be going back.

BTW, the order I picked up was for myself and several other people. Everyone noticed that all the sides were in smaller containers than those we had been served in the past. One lesson I've learned in business is that as long as you maintain quality and quantity you can always raise prices within reason and not lose a huge percentage of your customer base. When you start cutting what brings people to you in the first place, it won't matter if you cut your prices, your once loyal fans will be gone.

My name is Glenn Tisdall and I am one of the new owners of Costello Sandwich & Sides. I am terribly disappointed that you have experienced your first ever bad experience at Costello's since we have taken over. We have worked very hard to maintain the high standards that Chris Costello established during his ownership. Your post has shown a commitment to Costello's and I hope this response shows our commitment to you and the rest of our customers.

As was stated in the press release, we have released a new menu recently. There are two major changes that occurred during this rollout as well as several minor ones, and I will speak to as many of them as I can remember here.

The first major change is that we now have a single price for all of our sandwiches. All of our sandwiches are now $6.29. That price includes your sandwich, as well as an apple or bag of pretzels or potato chips. (No change there.) This reflects a decrease in price for every sandwich on the menu with the exception of one (the baked PB&J). Several sandwiches have seen price drops of as much as 65 cents. Our Costello's Combo ($7.69) and Deluxe Sandwich Meals ($8.69) also reflect this same single pricing model, as well as the decrease in price.

The second major change is in the packaging we use for our sides. There have been two changes here. The first is that we have now changed from styrofoam cups to a fully compostable paper product. It is a commitment to the environment that we feel is worth the additional cost. The second involves the sizes of the containers. We previously used four sizes - 5oz., 10oz., 16oz., and 32oz. The 5oz., or small size, was used as part of the Combo and Deluxe Meals. The new packaging comes in only three sizes - 8oz., 16oz., and 32oz. The 8oz., our new small size, is now being used for our Combo and Deluxe Meals.

The minor changes we have made to the menu involve a new hummus, a change in the marinara sauce we use for our pasta side and the Italian Meatball sandwich, a change from pepper relish to giardinera on the Don Costello, a new Pizza Pie recipe and the elimination of the rarely ordered Meatball Slider sandwich. The recipes for all of our sides remain the same (and contain no potato flakes). We have added a few new soups too, which are all still homemade.

We have also added a new special side and sandwich of the month. In January, we are featuring a Thai Peanut Noodle Salad as our side. As the special sandwich, we now have the Chicago Fire Dog. It's an all-beef weiner stuffed with jalapenos and cheese, topped with our Northwoods Chili, topped with more cheese then oven-baked.

Outside of the menu, we have also made some changes in the stores themselves. We've also updated the website and introduced an online order store as well.

I realize that you were not able to come into the store and experience the new packaging before your last post, so I invite you to come back. Things have changed. I hope for the better. Shoot me an email and I'll meet you for lunch, on me.

I stumbled across your comments and noticed you mentioned all the recipes for the sides are the same. As a long time resident of Roscoe Village who frequently eats at Costello, I couldn't help but notice some changes in them. The cole slaw being the most obviously different. Any chance the old slaw could come back, even if it was just for the Mess? I'm sure that would probably be a pain to make two kinds but I figured it couldn't hurt to throw the suggestion out there. Anyway, good luck with your new opportunity.

Hi Candy,I missed your post until recently, but the slaw is back to the original recipe, including the celery seed which was one of the missing elements. To make a long story short, there was a miscommunication in our kitchens that caused the unintended change. Thanks to the input of you and other concerned customers we are back in the slaw saddle again.Thanks again,GT